Oral minoxidil is growing in popularity as an off-label solution for hair restoration.
Learn more about it here.
It works by shortening the hairs rest phase and pushes it into the growth phase, which slows shedding.
But unfortunately,minoxidil-based hair-growth treatmentsare often messy.
Plus, you better apply it twice a day to get the best results.
But they found that one of the side effects of using it for blood pressurewas increased hair growth.
board-certified dermatologist
Oral minoxidil is gaining popularity alongside the rise of other oralhair-growth treatments.
Having oral hair-growth drugs makes the process easier to adhere to, and thus, more effective.
So taking the pill, just from a compliance standpoint, is much easier.
But like topical minoxidil, it is a long-term commitment.
However, you still need to be cautious about the hypotensive effect it can have.
But overall, its pretty well tolerated.
And I think thats the wonderful thing about minoxidil.
Anecdotally, Dr. Lee has seen more patients experience unwanted hair growth with topical minoxidil rather than oral.
Even with the minoxidil foam or the solution, I have folks who get so excited.
board-certified dermatologist
With the oral medications, I have not seen that so far.
Does taking oral minoxidil mean you stop using the topical solution?
Dr. Cho is a huge fan of combining them to get the best results, depending on the patient.
you’re able to actually use them as a complementing pair, says Dr. Cho.
The topical will still work, but I think oral medicine will definitely enhance.
Often it just depends.
I dont want to overcomplicate things, says Dr. Lee.
I have some patients who have tried the minoxidil foam or the solution.
And theyre like, Ew, I do not like how it makes my hair feel.
It feels greasy or it feels like theres a residue.
And I say, Lets just focus all our energy on the oral.'
Have a chat with your doctor and see what your options are.
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